Summer Fights

Only a few days into the big kids not being in camp, and next week, Lanie will also be home, and the fights are escalating. 

The day actually started out with dropping off Lanie at Samantha's, who took care of Vivian for 3.5 years.  Vivian said, "yay! We're at Samantha's, I am going to say hi!" Lanie immediately yelled, "Mom! Vivian say, "I see Samantha!  But it is mine Samantha!"  

"Lanie, Samantha took care of Vivian first, you can both see her.  She's not yours."

"NO Momma, MINE Samantha!"   

What I was actually thinking  in my head was in thirteen years, "Mom! Vivian said she liked him!  But he's MY boyfriend!"

Sam and Vivian play really well together, and are good companions, but when they're in the mood they also know how to push each other's buttons. 

Here is a photo after each of them instigating until Vivian couldn't take it anymore.  They had both been sharing the armchair, trying to relax with Jack, but really they had took turns pushing and pulling and yelling at each other to "not squish the dog!"  I swear Jack loved every moment of it.  I was trying to work on my online class, hoping they'd sort it out and go and play without me intervening.  When I looked up and saw this, I had to take a photo, which obviously made Vivian more upset.

 

 

She's screaming, "stop looking at me!" so Sam is grinning at me instead.

Spinning Turtle Ride

My favorite part is when Lanie says, "what's happening?" as the ride starts.

Storyland

I took the kids to Storyland in New Hampshire on Thursday.  Despite the constant, "how much more time until we are there?" and "when do we get to Italy again?" (Viv), and intermittent torrential downpours and thunderstorms, as we drove through the White Mountains, we arrived (not in Italy, at Storyland). 

The first ride the kids went on, I was with the girls and asked, "where's Sam?"

The antique cars with Vivi driving and Lanie and I as passengers.

Vivian pointed to a car as he drove by solo.

The kids had a great time and were really well behaved and happy.  Vivian (and by default Lanie) got to have tea with Cinderella, and Sam spent a lot of time riding bigger kid rides with my friend and her son, although at times he was definitely terrified.

Rollercoaster with Sam in the back, relieved it's over.

Girls and I on the train.

Water area.

Water area submarine.

Camera captured an action shot of Sam on the roller coaster.

Ferris well type ride.

Vivian sipping tea at Cinderella's tea party.  

Lanie and Vivian hugging Cinderella after the tea.

Vivian at Cinderella's castle, in her very fancy outfit.

Lanie loved the train ride.

Dinner view.

Lanie's Ear

Lanie was in the back of the car yesterday poking her ear.

Lanie: (finger in ear) "Mom."
Me: "Yes, Lanie?"
Lanie: "Oh.  There is penguin in my ear."
Me: "Oh? A penguin?"
Lanie: "Yes.  It a penguin.  In my ear."
Me:  "Oh dear."
Lanie: "MOM."
Me:  "Yes, Lanie?"
Lanie: "No, it is monkey.  Monkey in ear."
Me: "Oh dear.  A penguin and now a monkey."
Lanie: "Yes, in ea-ya."
Lanie: "MOM!"
Me: "Yes?" as we pulled into the driveway.
Lanie: "Now ant is in it!  In ea-ya!"
Me: "Oh no!" (beginning to wonder if she actually had stuffed something in her ear).

Looked fine and no other animals or insects since then.

False Alarm

I took the two older kids to the grocery store today, a good half hour away to do a bulk shop.  After a Nana spotting (she was driving in the next lane over and the kids made me try to get her attention and we missed our turn), we arrived and started our shop in the giant store.  The kids were very excited to be there as Chris usually takes them, so they had to show me all the their favorite parts (like the toy train display that causes Lanie to cry when they leave).  After getting about two thirds around the store, a loud alarm started ringing, and after a minute or two continued to ring.  I took Vivian out of the full cart (she had insisted on riding in the car section of the children's cart) and we left the store.  Luckily, after twenty minutes and several fire trucks, and many, many questions by a slightly anxious Sam, we were allowed to return and finish our shopping.  And even more luckily, we were leaving the frozen foods until last.

Not helpful when you look up to determine if there is an emergency and this is the decor of the store.  Fake windows with red and yellow light shining through.  Sam was also convinced that he smelled smoke.

The kids recorded the fire engines arriving for Lanie because she loves sirens and trucks and always asks to "See loud?" when sirens go by.  I have a minute and a half video on my phone of trucks idling outside the store while the kids have a running commentary on the events.

Sam Wants Coffee

The kids love coffee and often ask for it.  Recently I was making a cup in the morning and Sam asked me for a cup.

Me:  "No, you're not having coffee."
Sam: "Please?  Just a small cup?"
Me: "No."
Sam: "Come on, mom.  Just a little bit?"
Me:  "No."
Sam: "I'll pay you a dollar for a cup of coffee."
Me: "Ha. No."
Sam: "I'm serious mom, a dollar!"
Me: "This isn't Starbucks, I'm not selling you coffee."
Sam: "Mom, that's a really bad business choice."

Vivian's first hair salon

Up until now, Vivian has refused to get her haircut, so I have been doing it.  Which has amounted to me cutting it while she was watching TV and didn't know a few times, and then once when she cut it herself and I had to cut it to even it out.  I'm not sure why she didn't want to get it done, it may have been Sam hating the buzzers at the barbershop or that she thought it would hurt.  I finally convinced her to go to a kiddie salon, complete with TV, lollipops and prizes.  She changed her mind as soon as we walked in the door, but I talked her into it.  The hairdresser was great, and she styled it and added glitter (that is still on her scalp a week later).  We walked out and Vivian declared, "I LOVE getting my haircut!"

Lanie's Gymnastics Class

                                        She finally gets a class of her own! And she loves it!

How I found Vivian

I guess Vivian fell asleep while trying to remove her shirt.  It is hot, but she didn't quite complete it.

And with the dog comes new adventures

So Jack came from a previous owner who supposedly let her nine (+) dogs use doggie pads as bathrooms inside the house.  He sees a rug and thinks it's a great spot to pee or poop.  Particularly the rugs that I like the most, which happen to be blue and white, which are the colors of the doggy pads.  Or maybe he just knows they are my favorite rugs...

The kids are currently the ones cleaning it up, on the condition that they are the ones who want the dog.  They are so far pretty good and agreeable about it, but sometimes a dispute ensues.  Meanwhile Lanie thinks that it's probably good fun to clean up (we won't let her because no one wants a bigger mess).  She will walk around outside in the yard with a poop bag on her hand picking up rocks and twigs, yelling, "Oh! Disgusting!"

Starting our day one morning recently.  They're arguing about who picks up what size piece.

And then there was a dog

This guy came home from the MSPCA two days before school ended.  He and Vivian have a good bond.  The poor dog has been through a ton of names, but I think we're settled on Jack.  He came to us as Timmy, and has since been called: Calvin, Hobbes, Snowy, Dusty, Buddy, Tim, Whitey, Pookie (by default, he looks like a family dog and Lanie thought he was Pookie for a few days), Doggy, and a few other names, but he has consistently (more or less), been Jack for about a week now.  He's a 1.5 year old Maltese and we are working on house training him.  He and Lanie are both working on bathroom skills.